Imaging Apparatus Using Solid-State Image Pickup Element

ABSTRACT

Conventional methods for fixing a solid-state image pickup element to a color separation prism have a problem in that, if the amount of an applied ultraviolet-curable adhesive is nonuniform and ultraviolet light irradiation is uneven, the ultraviolet-curable adhesive undergoes uneven curing shrinkage, so that the solid-state image pickup element is fixed in a position deviating from an original alignment position. 
     The present invention solves the above problem, and includes a plurality of prisms ( 2 ) intended for use in a television camera or the like to allow optical dispersion in a plurality of directions, a plurality of solid-state image pickup element packages ( 3 ) placed in the vicinity of emission planes thereof, planar holders having wedge-shaped tips in contact with light reception plane-side surfaces of the solid-state image pickup element packages ( 3 ) and bonded to opposite side faces of the prisms, each holder being composed of two pieces of plates ( 4 A,  4 B); and an adhesive ( 7 ) applied and cured in gaps formed by surfaces ( 5 ) of the solid-state image pickup element packages and wedge-shaped tip surfaces ( 6 ) of the planar holders.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to imaging apparatuses in which a prismintended for use in a television camera or the like to allow opticaldispersion in a plurality of directions and solid-state image pickupelements placed in the vicinity of emission planes thereof are bondedand fixed together.

BACKGROUND ART

Currently, in cameras for broadcast use such as television cameras,cameras for business use and cameras for measurement use, prisms areused in a color separation optical system for allowing opticaldispersion in a plurality of directions, to form captured optical imageson solid-state image pickup elements provided on their emission planesthrough, for example, dispersion into three primary colors, i.e., blue,red and green. The optical images formed on the solid-state image pickupelements are subjected to photoelectric conversion, and amplified andprocessed by a video circuit to obtain predetermined video signals.

Such a color separation optical system requires precisely aligning eachof three solid-state image pickup elements in relation to six axes X, Y,Z, θx, θy and θz with respect to an optical axis, as shown in aperspective view in FIG. 2 illustrating adjustment directions of asolid-state image pickup element, before bonding and fixing thesolid-state image pickup elements to a color separation prism.

A prior known imaging apparatus with bonded and fixed solid-state imagepickup elements is disclosed in Prior Art 1: Japanese Laid-Open UtilityModel Publication No. 62-47289, titled “ATTACHMENT PLATE FOR COLORSEPARATION OPTICAL SYSTEM”.

Prior Art 1 is described with reference to drawings. FIG. 10( a) is aplan view in which solid-state image pickup elements are attached to acolor separation prism in Prior Art 1 via spacers on attachment plates,FIG. 10( b) is a side view in which a solid-state image pickup elementis attached to the color separation prism in Prior Art 1 via spacers onan attachment plate, FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of attached portions inPrior Art 1, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of attached portionsillustrating a variant of the spacer in Prior Art 1.

As shown in FIG. 10, attachment plates 102 are attached so as tosandwich a color separation prism 101 of a color separation opticalsystem 105, and three solid-state image pickup elements 103 are eachaligned in relation to the aforementioned six axes, and thereafter,bonded and fixed to the attachment plates 102 via two spacers 104.

In FIG. 11, emission-side end faces of the attachment plates 102attached to the color separation prism 101 form inclined faces 102Ainclined with respect to an emission optical axis. On the other hand,the spacers 104 each have a vertical face 104A formed on the right sideand an inclined face 104B formed on the left side, which is inclinedwith respect to the emission optical axis. As can be seen from FIG. 11,the inclined faces 102A and 104B are formed at approximately the sameinclination angle. In addition, gaps required for applying an adhesiveare left between the inclined faces 102A and 104B and between thevertical face 104A and a light reception plane-side surface of thesolid-state image pickup element 103.

The color separation optical system 105 with such a structure is mountedon an unillustrated 6-axis adjustment jig to adjust the solid-stateimage pickup element 103 in three axial directions X, Y and Z and threeaxial rotation directions θx, θy and θz as shown in the perspective viewin FIG. 2 illustrating adjustment directions of a solid-state imagepickup element package, and thereafter, the vertical faces 104A and theinclined faces 104B of the spacers 104 are applied with an adhesive andinserted into the gaps between the inclined faces 102A of the attachmentplates 102 and the solid-state image pickup element 103.

With such a configuration, even if the gaps between the end faces of theattachment plates 102 and the light reception plane-side surface of thesolid-state image pickup element 103 are uneven, the spacers 104 arestructured to have at least one inclined side face, so that the inclinedfaces 104B of the spacers 104 are brought into surface contact with theinclined faces 102A of the attachment plates 102, and therefore it ispossible to bond them together by using the pair of spacers 104.

In addition, if, as a result of adjustment by the 6-axis adjustment jig,the inclined faces 104B and 102A are inclined at different inclinationangles as shown in FIG. 12, it is possible to bring the inclined faces104B into line contact with the inclined faces 102A and bond themtogether.

Another example is disclosed in Prior Art 2: Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication No. 5-37943, titled “SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS”.

Prior Art 2 is described with reference to drawings. FIG. 13 is aconfiguration diagram of a solid-state image pickup apparatus in PriorArt 2, FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of attached portionsin Prior Art 2, and FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view ofattached portions illustrating a variant of a solid-state image pickupelement in Prior Art 2.

In FIG. 13, a solid-state image pickup element 203 is fixed on eachemission plane of a color separation prism 201 via a pair ofconnecting/fixing members 204 by applying an adhesive between the colorseparation prism 201 and the connecting/fixing members 204 and betweenthe connecting/fixing members 204 and the solid-state image pickupelement 203, such that the solid-state image pickup element 203 issandwiched by the connecting/fixing members 204. The color separationprism 201 is coated with a light-shielding paint 202 except for itsemission planes.

Filter glass having a characteristic of selectively transmittingultraviolet light therethrough or membranes for selectively transmittingultraviolet light therethrough, which are formed by evaporating anoptical multilayer film onto white or blue sheet grass, are used for theconnecting/fixing members 204 for connecting and fixing together thecolor separation prism 201 and the solid-state image pickup element 203placed in the vicinity of an emission plane thereof as shown in FIG. 14,so that only light required for curing the ultraviolet-curable adhesiveis transmitted and light in a range that is sensed by the solid-stateimage pickup element 203 is cut off; the ultraviolet-curable adhesive205 is applied between the color separation prism 201 and theconnecting/fixing members 204 and between the connecting/fixing members204 and the solid-state image pickup element 203, and after using anunillustrated 6-axis adjustment jig to adjust the solid-state imagepickup element 203 in three axial directions X, Y and Z and three axialrotation directions θx, θy and θz as shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive 205is cured through irradiation with ultraviolet light, thereby connectingand fixing together the color separation prism 201, theconnecting/fixing member 204 and the solid-state image pickup element203.

In addition, if, as a result of adjustment by the unillustrated 6-axisadjustment jig, the solid-state image pickup element 203 is inclined asshown in FIG. 15, the applied ultraviolet-curable adhesive 205 isdeformed and cured through irradiation with ultraviolet light, andtherefore it is possible to connect and fix together the colorseparation prism 201, the connecting/fixing member 204 and thesolid-state image pickup element 203.

In general, the adhesive has a characteristic of shrinking in volume byseveral percents when cured, or so-called curing shrinkage, whichimpairs positional precision at the time of fixation, but the curingshrinkage of an adhesion layer can be counterbalanced by movement of theconnecting members, whereby it is possible to cure it while maintainingprecision so as not to change the positional relationship between asolid-state image pickup element and a prism block.

The above conventional methods for bonding and fixing a color separationprism and a solid-state image pickup element together, however, have aproblem in that, if the amount of applied ultraviolet-curable adhesiveis not uniform or ultraviolet light irradiation by the 6-axis adjustmentjig is uneven, the curing shrinkage of the ultraviolet-curable adhesivealso becomes uneven, so that the solid-state image pickup element isfixed in a position deviating from an original alignment position.

In addition, in cameras for broadcast use, cameras for business use andcameras for measurement use, the number of pixels in a solid-state imagepickup element is increased, so that an area per pixel is decreased, andfurthermore an imaging area is further decreased from ⅔, ½ or ⅓ inches,therefore the conventional bonding and fixing methods has a difficultyin maintaining high-definition images by preventing alignment error dueto the curing shrinkage of the adhesive and positional change due tovariations in ambient temperature during operation.

In view of the above-described present situation, the present inventionaims to provide an imaging apparatus having a color separation prism anda solid-state image pickup element connected and fixed together, whichis capable of, even if the amount of applied adhesive is nonuniform, orultraviolet light irradiation is uneven, so that the curing shrinkage ofthe ultraviolet-curable adhesive also becomes uneven, preventingpositional deviation of the solid-state image pickup element and dealingwith an increase in number of pixels or reduction in size of thesolid-state image pickup element without using a specialized member suchas filter glass.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

As a result of diligent study in view of the foregoing, the presentinventor has solved the problems with the following means.

(1) An imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elements,comprising: a plurality of prisms intended for use in a televisioncamera or the like to allow optical dispersion in a plurality ofdirections; a plurality of solid-state image pickup element packagesplaced in the vicinity of emission planes thereof; planar holders havingwedge-shaped tips in contact with light reception plane-side surfaces ofthe solid-state image pickup element packages and bonded to oppositeside faces of the prisms, each holder being composed of two pieces ofplates; and an adhesive applied and cured in gaps formed by surfaces ofthe solid-state image pickup element packages and wedge-shaped tipsurfaces of the planar holders.

(2) The imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elementsaccording to preceding item (1), wherein the planar holders are bondedto the opposite side faces of the prisms such that wedge-shaped tips ofa plurality of stacked planar holders having the same shape are incontact with the light reception plane-side surfaces of the solid-stateimage pickup element packages, and the adhesive is applied and cured ingaps formed by the surfaces of the solid-state image pickup elementpackages and the wedge-shaped tip surfaces of the planar holders.

(3) The imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elementsaccording to preceding item (1) or (2), wherein a bar is inserted in thegaps formed by the surfaces of the solid-state image pickup elementpackages and the wedge-shaped tip surfaces of the planar holders.

(4) The imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elementsaccording to any one of preceding items (1) through (3), wherein the baris made of one or two or more materials selected from transparent glass,ceramic and metal materials, the materials having a thermal expansioncoefficient approximating to a thermal expansion coefficient of theprisms.

(5) An imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elements,comprising a plurality of prisms intended for use in a television cameraor the like to allow optical dispersion in a plurality of directions; aplurality of solid-state image pickup element packages placed in thevicinity of emission planes thereof; planar holders having tips incontact with light reception plane-side surfaces of the solid-stateimage pickup element packages and bonded to opposite side faces of theprisms, the tips having a semicircular cross section, each holder beingcomposed of two pieces of plates; and an adhesive applied and cured ingaps formed by surfaces of the solid-state image pickup element packagesand semicircular tip surfaces of the planar holders.

(6) The imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elementsaccording to any one of preceding items (1) through (5), wherein theplanar holders are made of one or two or more materials selected fromtransparent glass, ceramic and metal materials, the materials having athermal expansion coefficient approximating to a thermal expansioncoefficient of the prisms.

(7) The imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elementsaccording to any one of preceding items (1) through (6), wherein theadhesive is a photocurable adhesive, which is cured through irradiationwith light to connect and fix the planar holders and the prisms andconnect and fix the planar holders and the solid-state image pickupelement packages.

(8) The imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elementsaccording to any one of preceding items (1) through (6), wherein theadhesive is a thermosetting adhesive, which is cured by a heat source toconnect and fix the planar holders and the prisms and connect and fixthe planar holders and the solid-state image pickup element packages.

(9) The imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elementsaccording to any one of preceding items (1) through (8), wherein theadhesive contains translucent spherical fillers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1( a) is a configuration diagram in which solid-state image pickupelement packages are attached to planar holders of a color separationprism in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1( b) is aside view, taken at A-A′, in which a solid-state image pickup elementpackage is attached to a planar holder in Embodiment 1 of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating adjustment directions of asolid-state image pickup element package.

FIG. 3 is a side view, taken at A-A′, of Variant 1 in which asolid-state image pickup element package is attached to a planar holderin Embodiment 1 of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view, taken at A-A′, of Variant 2 in which asolid-state image pickup element package is attached to a planar holderin Embodiment 1 of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view, taken at A-A′, in which a solid-state imagepickup element package is attached to a planar holder in Embodiment 2 ofthe invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view, taken at A-A′, in which a solid-state imagepickup element package is attached to a planar holder in Embodiment 3 ofthe invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view, taken at A-A′, in which a solid-state imagepickup element package is attached to a planar holder in Embodiment 4 ofthe invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view, taken at A-A′, in which a solid-state imagepickup element package is attached to a planar holder in Embodiment 5 ofthe invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion where asolid-state image pickup element package is bonded and fixed to a planarholder in Embodiment 6 of the invention.

FIG. 10( a) is a plan view in which solid-state image pickup elementsare attached to a color separation prism in Prior Art 1 via spacers onattachment plates, and FIG. 10(b) is a side view in which a solid-stateimage pickup element is attached to the color separation prism in PriorArt 1 via spacers on an attachment plate.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of attached portions in Prior Art 1.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of attached portions illustrating a variantof the spacer in Prior Art 1.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a solid-state image pickupapparatus in Prior Art 2.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of attached portions inPrior Art 2.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of attached portionsillustrating a variant of a solid-state image pickup element in PriorArt 2.

EXPLANATION OF LETTERS OR NUMERALS

-   -   1: color separation optical system    -   2: prism    -   3: solid-state image pickup element package    -   4, 4A, 4A′, 4B, 4B′: holder    -   5: package surface    -   6, 6′: wedge-shaped surface    -   7, 7′: adhesive    -   8: hole    -   9: attachment plate    -   10: bar    -   11: semicircular surface    -   101: color separation prism    -   102: attachment plate    -   102A: inclined face    -   103: solid-state image pickup element    -   104: spacer    -   104A: vertical face    -   104B: inclined face    -   105: color separation optical system    -   201: color separation prism    -   202: light-shielding paint    -   203: solid-state image pickup element    -   204: connecting/fixing member    -   205: ultraviolet-curable adhesive

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference tothe drawings.

FIG. 1( a) is a configuration diagram in which solid-state image pickupelement packages are attached to planar holders of a color separationprism in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1( b) is a sideview, taken at A-A′, in which a solid-state image pickup element packageis attached to a planar holder in Embodiment 1 of the invention, FIG. 2is a perspective view illustrating adjustment directions of asolid-state image pickup element package, FIG. 3 is a side view, takenat A-A′, of Variant 1 in which a solid-state image pickup elementpackage is attached to a planar holder in Embodiment 1 of the invention,FIG. 4 is a front view, taken at A-A′, of Variant 2 in which asolid-state image pickup element package is attached to a planar holderin Embodiment 1 of the invention, FIG. 5 is a side view, taken at A-A′,in which a solid-state image pickup element package is attached to aplanar holder in Embodiment 2 of the invention, FIG. 6 is a side view,taken at A-A′, in which a solid-state image pickup element package isattached to a planar holder in Embodiment 3 of the invention, FIG. 7 isa side view, taken at A-A′, in which a solid-state image pickup elementpackage is attached to a planar holder in Embodiment 4 of the invention,FIG. 8 is a side view, taken at A-A′, in which a solid-state imagepickup element package is attached to a planar holder in Embodiment 5 ofthe invention, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of aportion where a solid-state image pickup element package is bonded andfixed to a planar holder in Embodiment 6 of the invention.

Embodiment 1

In FIG. 1, a color separation optical system 1 intended for use in atelevision camera or the like includes: a prism 2 for color separationin three directions; three solid-state image pickup element packages 3placed in the vicinity of emission planes thereof; planar holders 4having wedge-shaped tips in contact with light reception plane-sidepackage surfaces 5 of the solid-state image pickup element packages 3,each holder being composed of two pieces of plates bonded to oppositeside faces of the prism 2 and made of a transparent glass materialhaving a thermal expansion coefficient approximating to a thermalexpansion coefficient of the prism 2; and an adhesive 7 applied to filltriangular gaps so as to connect and fix the holders 4 and thesolid-state image pickup element packages 3, the gaps being formed bythe solid-state image pickup element package surfaces 5 and surfaces 6of the wedge-shaped tips of the holders 4 that are inclined to faceoutward, and the color separation optical system 1 is attached to theback of a front panel of an unillustrated television camera housing viaan attachment plate 9.

Note that in order to prevent external disturbing light from beingincident on light reception planes of the solid-state image pickupelement packages 3, flexible light-shielding films are preferably placedbetween prisms 2 so as to surround the light reception planes of thesolid-state image pickup element packages 3.

The above color separation optical system requires each of the threesolid-state image pickup elements to be bonded and fixed to the colorseparation prism 2 after they are precisely aligned in relation to sixaxes X, Y, Z, θx, θy and θz with respect to an optical axis as shown inthe perspective view in FIG. 2 illustrating adjustment directions of asolid-state image pickup element package 3.

In FIG. 1, the color separation optical system 1 is fixed on the body ofan unillustrated 6-axis adjustment jig by the attachment plate 9, andthe 6-axis adjustment jig is attached by using the solid-state imagepickup element package 3 for an R, G or B channel and one to three jiginsertion holes 8 provided in surfaces of a holder 4, or so as tosandwich end faces of the holder 4. The solid-state image pickup elementpackage 3 is adjusted such that the wedge-shaped tips of the holder 4 isalways in contact with the surface 5 of the solid-state image pickupelement package 3, and the solid-state image pickup element package 3and the 6-axis adjustment jig on the holder 4 interlock with each otherin accordance with a 6-axis adjustment signal.

Upon completion of the precise alignments of the three solid-state imagepickup elements in relation to the six axes X, Y, Z, θx, θy and θz withrespect to the optical axis, an ultraviolet-curable adhesive 7 isapplied to fill the peripheries of the holders 4 each composed of twopieces and triangular gaps formed by package surfaces 5 of thesolid-state image pickup elements and wedge-shaped tip surfaces 6 of theholders 4, and the adhesive 7 is cured through irradiation withultraviolet light, so that the holders 4 and the solid-state imagepickup element packages 3 are connected and fixed.

FIG. 3 is a side view, taken at A-A′, of Variant 1 in which asolid-state image pickup element package 3 is attached to a holder 4 inEmbodiment 1 of the invention; if, as a result of adjustment by theabove unillustrated 6-axis adjustment jig, any one of the solid-stateimage pickup element packages 3 for R, G and B channels requiresregistration adjustment in a horizontal direction, and the solid-stateimage pickup element package 3 is inclined, the registration adjustmentis performed by moving holders 4A and 4B back and forth with each otherby using the 6-axis adjustment jig to incline the solid-state imagepickup element package 3, while maintaining the optical axis center ofthe solid-state image pickup element package 3. Upon completion of theadjustment, an adhesive 7 is cured through irradiation with ultravioletlight in the same manner as described above, thereby connecting andfixing together the holder 4 and the solid-state image pickup elementpackage 3, and similarly, an adhesive is applied around the holder 4composed of two pieces to connect and fix the prism 2 and the holder 4together.

FIG. 4 is a front view, taken at A-A′, of Variant 2 in which asolid-state image pickup element package is attached to a holder inEmbodiment 1 of the invention; if, as a result of adjustments by theabove unillustrated 6-axis adjustment jig, any one of the solid-stateimage pickup element packages 3 for R, G and B channels requiresregistration adjustment in a vertical direction, and the solid-stateimage pickup element package 3 is inclined, the registration adjustmentis performed by simultaneously inclining holders 4A and 4B with respectto an optical axis by using the 6-axis adjustment jig, while maintainingthe optical axis center of the solid-state image pickup element package3. Upon completion of the adjustment, an adhesive 7 is cured throughirradiation with ultraviolet light, thereby connecting and fixingtogether the holder 4 and the solid-state image pickup element package3, and similarly, an adhesive is applied around the holder 4 composed oftwo pieces to connect and fix the prism 2 and the holder 4 together.

As is apparent from the foregoing, by performing adjustment inaccordance with a combination of Variants 1 and 2, it is possible toperform precise alignment in relation to six axial directions includingthree axial directions X, Y and Z and three axial rotation directionsθx, θy and θz.

Upon completion of the adjustment in relation to the six axes,unillustrated light-shielding paint is preferably applied around theprism 2 except for its emission planes.

Embodiment 2

In FIG. 5, the holders 4A and 4B described in Embodiment 1 respectivelyhave holders 4A′ and 4B′ stacked thereon via an adhesive (or by applyingan adhesive around the holders) such that wedge-shaped tip surfaces 6and 6′ of the stacked holders 4 are inclined in the same direction;after performing adjustment in relation to six axes in the same manneras described above, the two holders 4 stacked on each other areconnected and fixed to a solid-state image pickup element package 3 bycuring their respective adhesives 7 and 7′ through irradiation withultraviolet light, and similarly, the holders 4 each composed of twopieces are bonded together to connect and fix the prism 2 and theholders 4 together. Other features and actions are the same as inEmbodiment 1.

Embodiment 3

In FIG. 6, the holders 4A and 4B described in Embodiment 1 respectivelyhave holders 4A′ and 4B′ stacked thereon via an adhesive (or by applyingan adhesive around the holders) such that wedge-shaped tip surfaces 6and 6′ of the stacked holders 4 are inclined so as to face each other;after performing adjustment in relation to six axes in the same manneras described above, the two holders 4 stacked on each other areconnected and fixed to a solid-state image pickup element package 3 bycuring their respective adhesives 7 and 7′ through irradiation withultraviolet light, and similarly, the holders 4 each composed of twopieces are bonded together to connect and fix the prism 2 and theholders 4 together. Other features and actions are the same as inEmbodiment 1.

Embodiment 4

In FIG. 7, holders 4 are formed by integrating the holders 4A and 4Bdescribed in Embodiment 1 with the above-described holders 4A′ and 4B′,respectively, such that their wedge-shaped tip surfaces 6 and 6′ areinclined in opposite directions; after performing adjustment in relationto six axes in the same manner as described above, the holders 4 areconnected and fixed to a solid-state image pickup element package 3 bycuring their respective adhesives 7 and 7′ through irradiation withultraviolet light, and similarly, the prism 2 and the holders 4 areconnected and fixed together. Other features and actions are the same asin Embodiment 1.

Embodiment 5

In FIG. 8, the holders 4A and 4B described in Embodiment 1 have theirtips formed with a semicircular surface 11 instead of a wedge-shapedsurface; after performing adjustment in relation to six axes in the samemanner as described above, the holders 4 are connected and fixed to asolid-state image pickup element package 3 by curing their respectiveadhesives 7 and 7′ through irradiation with ultraviolet light, andsimilarly, the prism 2 and the holders 4 are connected and fixedtogether. Other features and actions are the same as in Embodiment 1.

Embodiment 6

In FIG. 9, a holder 4, which is composed of two pieces of plates bondedto side faces of the above-described prism 2 and made of a transparentglass material having a thermal expansion coefficient approximating to athermal expansion coefficient of the prism 2, has wedge-shaped tips incontact with a light reception plane-side package surface 5 of theabove-described solid-state image pickup element package 3; a columnarbar 10 made of a transparent glass material having a thermal expansioncoefficient approximating to a thermal expansion coefficient of theprism 2 is placed in a triangular gap, which is formed by thesolid-state image pickup element package surface 5 and wedge-shaped tipsurfaces 6 of the holder 4 that are inclined to face outward, such thatthe bar is in contact with the surfaces. After applying an adhesive 7and performing adjustment in relation to six axes in the same manner asdescribed above, the holder 4 is connected and fixed to the solid-stateimage pickup element package 3 by curing the adhesive 7 throughirradiation with ultraviolet light, and similarly, the prism 2 and theholder 4 are connected and fixed together. Other features and actionsare the same as in Embodiment 1.

While the adhesive described in the above embodiments is anultraviolet-curable adhesive, a photocurable adhesive may also be used,which is capable of bonding and fixing when cured by visible light froma metal halide lamp or the like used as a light source for use in abonding operation with the 6-axis adjustment jig.

Further, it is expected that, by containing translucent sphericalfillers in the adhesive, mechanical characteristics such as hardness areimproved and polymerization shrinkage is reduced, resulting in a smallthermal expansion coefficient.

While in the above embodiments, a bar 10 and a holder 4 are made of aglass, they may also be made of a ceramic material or a metal materialsuch as titanium, which has a thermal expansion coefficientapproximating to a thermal expansion coefficient of a prism 2. In such acase, the adhesive may be a thermosetting adhesive, which is cured by ahot air source or a heat coil to connect and fix together the holder 4and a solid-state image pickup element package 3, and the prism 2 andthe holder 4 are connected and fixed together in a similar manner.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, the following effects can beachieved.

1. According to the invention in claim 1 of the present application,even when the amount of applied thermosetting or photocurable adhesiveis nonuniform, or thermal distribution or light irradiation is uneven,so that curing shrinkage of the adhesive becomes uneven, theabove-described wedge-shaped tips of a planar holder are in contact witha light reception plane-side surface of a solid-state image pickupelement package, and therefore, even when curing shrinkage of theadhesive occurs, no impact is expected, i.e., positional deviation ofthe solid-state image pickup element can be prevented. Thus, connectionand fixation can be performed with high precision, thereby making itpossible to deal with an increase in number of pixels and reduction insize of the solid-state image pickup element.

In addition, because the planar holder is in contact with the lightreception plane-side surface of the solid-state image pickup elementpackage, no impact is caused by the shrinkage of the adhesive due tovariations in ambient temperature during operation, and therefore thesolid-state image pickup element package cannot be positionally changed.Thus, it is possible to provide high-definition images.

Further, because the planar holder is in contact with the lightreception plane-side surface of the solid-state image pickup elementpackage, the adhesive does not overflow onto the light reception planeside of the solid-state image pickup element during an operation ofapplying the adhesive. Thus, it is possible to prevent contamination ofan optical system or irregular reflection, etc., of an optical image dueto the adhesive.

2. According to the invention in claim 2 of the present application, inaddition to achieving the effects of the preceding claim, a plurality ofstacked planar holders having the same shape are bonded onto side facesof a prism such that their respective wedge-shaped tips are in contactwith the above-described light reception plane-side surface of asolid-state image pickup element package, and the solid-state imagepickup element package is connected and fixed to the plurality of planarholders by applying an adhesive in triangular gaps formed by thesolid-state image pickup element package surface and wedge-shaped tipsurfaces of the planar holders. Thus, a bonding area is increased twotimes or more to enhance adhesive strength, whereby it is possible tofirmly bond and fix even a combination of an extremely small prism and acompact solid-state image pickup element package.

3. According to the invention in claim 3 of the present application, inaddition to achieving the effects of the preceding claims, a bar isinserted in each of the above-described triangular gaps, so that theadhesive is applied in a reduced amount and dispersed, and a solid-stateimage pickup element package is connected and fixed to theabove-described planar holder by inserting the bars into the triangulargaps formed by the above-described solid-state image pickup elementpackage surface and the above-described wedge-shaped tip surfaces of theplanar holder, such that the bars are in contact with the surfaces.Thus, no impact is expected even when curing shrinkage of the adhesiveoccurs.

4. According to the invention in claim 4 of the present application, itis possible to use, as the above-described bar, any transparent glass,ceramic or metal material having a thermal expansion coefficientapproximating to a thermal expansion coefficient of a prism, andtherefore it is possible to select a material that is to be useddepending on bonding approaches for fixing and bonding theabove-described planar holder to the prism by a 6-axis adjustment jigfor a solid-state image pickup element.

5. According to the invention in claim 5 of the present application,similar to the effect of claim 1, even when the amount of appliedthermosetting or photocurable adhesive is nonuniform, or thermaldistribution or light irradiation is uneven, so that curing shrinkage ofthe adhesive becomes uneven, the above-described planar holder tiphaving a semicircular cross section is in contact with a light receptionplane-side surface of a solid-state image pickup element package, andtherefore, even when curing shrinkage of the adhesive occurs, no impactis expected, i.e., positional deviation of the solid-state image pickupelement can be prevented. Thus, connection and fixation can be performedwith high precision, thereby making it possible to deal with an increasein number of pixels and reduction in size of the solid-state imagepickup element.

6. According to the invention in claim 6 of the present application, itis possible to use, as the above-described planar holder, anytransparent glass, ceramic or metal material having a thermal expansioncoefficient approximating to a thermal expansion coefficient of a prism,and therefore it is possible to select a material that is to be useddepending on bonding approaches for fixing and bonding theabove-described planar holder to the prism by a 6-axis adjustment jigfor a solid-state image pickup element.

7. According to the invention in claim 7 of the present application, itis possible to use, as the planar holder and bar, a transparent glassmaterial having a thermal expansion coefficient approximating to athermal expansion coefficient of a prism, and it is possible to connectand fix the planar holder to a prism as well as to a solid-state imagepickup element package by applying the above-described photocurableadhesive and curing it through light irradiation. Thus, it is possibleto achieve effects of reducing the number of production man-hours andimproving work efficiency.

8. According to the invention in claim 8 of the present application, itis possible to employ an approach in which a ceramic or metal materialis used as the above-described planar holder and bar, and the planarholder is connected and fixed to a prism as well as to a solid-stateimage pickup element package by applying a thermosetting adhesive andcuring the thermosetting adhesive with a heat source. Thus, it ispossible to make easy adaptation to a fixing and bonding approach by theabove-described 6-axis adjustment jig.

9. According to the invention in claim 9 of the present application, itis expected that, by containing translucent spherical fillers in theabove-described adhesive, mechanical characteristics such as hardnessare improved and polymerization shrinkage is reduced, resulting in asmall thermal expansion coefficient.

1. An imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elements,comprising: a plurality of prisms intended for use in a televisioncamera or the like to allow optical dispersion in a plurality ofdirections; a plurality of solid-state image pickup element packagesplaced in the vicinity of emission planes thereof; planar holders havingwedge-shaped tips in contact with light reception plane-side surfaces ofthe solid-state image pickup element packages and bonded to oppositeside faces of the prisms, each holder being composed of two pieces ofplates; and an adhesive applied and cured in gaps formed by surfaces ofthe solid-state image pickup element packages and wedge-shaped tipsurfaces of the planar holders.
 2. The imaging apparatus usingsolid-state image pickup elements according to claim 1, wherein theplanar holders are bonded to the opposite side faces of the prisms suchthat wedge-shaped tips of a plurality of stacked planar holders havingthe same shape are in contact with the light reception plane-sidesurfaces of the solid-state image pickup element packages, and theadhesive is applied and cured in gaps formed by the surfaces of thesolid-state image pickup element packages and the wedge-shaped tipsurfaces of the planar holders.
 3. The imaging apparatus usingsolid-state image pickup elements according to claim 1, wherein a bar isinserted in the gaps formed by the surfaces of the solid-state imagepickup element packages and the wedge-shaped tip surfaces of the planarholders.
 4. The imaging apparatus using solid-state image pickupelements according to claim 1, wherein the bar is made of one or two ormore materials selected from transparent glass, ceramic and metalmaterials, the materials having a thermal expansion coefficientapproximating to a thermal expansion coefficient of the prisms.
 5. Animaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elements, comprising aplurality of prisms intended for use in a television camera or the liketo allow optical dispersion in a plurality of directions; a plurality ofsolid-state image pickup element packages placed in the vicinity ofemission planes thereof; planar holders having tips in contact withlight reception plane-side surfaces of the solid-state image pickupelement packages and bonded to opposite side faces of the prisms, thetips having a semicircular cross section, each holder being composed oftwo pieces of plates; and an adhesive applied and cured in gaps formedby surfaces of the solid-state image pickup element packages andsemicircular tip surfaces of the planar holders.
 6. The imagingapparatus using solid-state image pickup elements according to claim 1,wherein the planar holders are made of one or two or more materialsselected from transparent glass, ceramic and metal materials, thematerials having a thermal expansion coefficient approximating to athermal expansion coefficient of the prisms.
 7. The imaging apparatususing solid-state image pickup elements according to claim 1, whereinthe adhesive is a photocurable adhesive, which is cured throughirradiation with light to connect and fix the planar holders and theprisms and connect and fix the planar holders and the solid-state imagepickup element packages.
 8. The imaging apparatus using solid-stateimage pickup elements according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is athermosetting adhesive, which is cured by a heat source to connect andfix the planar holders and the prisms and connect and fix the planarholders and the solid-state image pickup element packages.
 9. Theimaging apparatus using solid-state image pickup elements according toclaim 1, wherein the adhesive contains translucent spherical fillers.